CSCE 590E Spring 2007 Computer Game Design and Programming By Jijun Tang

Introduction First time ever offered as a course in our department Some in CSCE245/240 have developed games We plan to offer this course every spring in the future:  your input is important to make this happen!

Introduction-2 Instructor:  Jijun Tang  3A50, , jtang with cse.sc.edujtang with cse.sc.edu TA:  Joachim Stahl  Stahlj with cse.sc.edu

Book Introduction to Game Development Edited by Steve Rabin Charles River Media, ISBN ~$70 We will follow the major chapters of this book, so having a copy is required. Some homework will be assigned from the exercises in the book.

Objectives Understand the general procedure and requirements of game design Become familiar with the popular game tools like DirectX, 3DMax, Photoshop, etc. Design a complex software package, write good and detailed documentation, and give technical presentations. Work as a group with several people, and gain first-hand experience about handling projects in the industry.

Topics Game history and game reviews Game design principles, processes and game architecture Direct X, SAGE, DXFramework and other engines 2D/3D graphics, animation Artificial Intelligence, physics, collision detection Story-based Game Design, Text-based adventure, First person shooter games, Role-playing games, Strategy games, Sports games, Multiplayer games, online games Art in games, music and sound effects, game aesthetics Documentations, testing and publishing

Forum We have a class forum at: The forum should be used as the primary source to seek helps Please do not post words that will offend others

Grading No exam 2 projects:  One smaller to make you master Visual.Net and MFC, and basic game programming (graduate: individual, undergraduate: team of two) 15%.  One bigger project

Big Project Group of 4, a graduate student will be the leader, you pick your own group. Finish a 2D/3D game using one of the two available engines:  DXFramework (U Mich)  SAGE (N. Texas) 30% points for the programming part

Presentations 2 intermediate presentations, 10% each.  1 st presentation is about the overall design, seek approval from the class  2 nd presentation is about the detailed design, check any missing part and discuss possible problems

Homework and Quiz 30%, 7 homework total Some are simple, like doing a survey Some are complex, for example to create a flash game 5% quiz, 5 total, randomly given

Lab Session We need it What is the best time?

Tools Visual.Net  All labs have installed.Net  You can get a copy from the college DirectX  All labs have installed DX SDK  No openGL will be supported

2D/3D tools 2D: installed GIMP, free you can purchase Paintshop Pro and install at your home computer (I have used it for 5 years) Microsoft paint can be useful, but its functionality is very limited

2D/3D tool 3D: GMax Free from AuthoDesk, but it stops the support of gmax 18 months ago You can obtain a copy from I have used 3D Canvas Pro for 5 years  $65 for professional version

Demo of my work

Engines SAGE and DXFramework (or others) SAGE: A Simple Academic Game Engine   Developed by Ian Parberry  Student project demos--- 

DXFramework U. Michigan Based on DirectX 9.0 Has a python script to help the creation of games Demos 

Game History First game: William Higinbotham  1958  Analog computer  An isolated incident Inpsiration: Steve “Slug” Russell  1961 as a student in MIT  DEC PDP-1 (18 bit) $120,000

Tennis for two (1958)

Spacewar (1961)

Game for the Masses Ralph Baer (left) and Nolan Bushnell (right)

Magnavox Odyssey (1972) , Ralph Baer Light gun and shooting Brown Box, the first home video game console Sold to Magnavox

Light Gun and Odyssey

Nolan Bushnell and Atari (1972) Computer Space machines Atari company Arcade games Pong: first popular video game

Pong and Arcade Computer Space

Cartridge-based Console (1977) Atari 2600, 1977 Able to support many games

Crash (1983) Poor games  Pac-Man on console  E.T. ($20 Million for the right) Too many cartridges Rebirth, with Japanese companies  Nintendo Entertainment System (8 bit) from Nintendo ( 任天堂 )  Miyamoto’s Mario

NES (90% market) NES Game boy Mario contra

A Video Play

Sega Sega Master System (1985)  16 bit  Genesis Saturn (1994)  Not successful, but can add modem Dreamcast (1999)  Built-in modem, 128-bit graphics  Last from Sega

Sega Systems Master System Saturn

Playstation Playstation I  Sony ( )  CD form Playstation II (2000)  DVD  Strong third party support Playstation III (2006)  Do you wait in the long line?

Playstation I Final Fantasy Grand Theft Auto

Xbox Microsoft has been in game for long  Flight simulator  Age of Empires Microsoft (2001)  PC architecture  Xbox Live  Xbox 360 (2006)

MS Games

Home computers Apple II and Macintosh  First home computer  366 games are created for Apple II IBM PC  IBM 5150  IBM is no longer in PC business

Designers Will Wright  SimCity  The Sims Sid Meier  Pirates!  Railroad Tycoon  Civilization Ken & Roberta Williams  Adventure games: Quest  half-Life Richard Garriott  RPG games  Ultima

Old Legendary Games Pac-Man PlayPlay Tetris PlayPlay Final Fantasy Pokémon Doom …

Studios MS (flight simulator, AE) Electronic Arts (publisher, C&C)C&C Interplay LucasArts Blizzard (Warcraft) Id Software (DOOM)

Types Adventure (text-based/graphical) Action (shooting, combat sim)  First-person shooting  Combat sim  Action adventure  Platformer (Mario)  Fighting (street fighter)street fighter  Real-time strategy (RTS)  Survival Horror

Types Role Playing Game (RPG) Stealth Simulation  SimCity  Flight Simulator  Train Simulator Racing Sports

Types Rhythm  Dance Dance Revolution (DDR)DDR Puzzle  Tetris Education  Typing  NSF funds many such games

Homework Due on Monday before class begins Type in word, print it and turn it in Question 1: List some games you have played, briefly describe them (or providing screen shots) and catalog each Question 2: Compare Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360, using public available data (price, RAM, architecture, features, etc)